Psalms 139.14

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: Psalms chapter: 139 verses: "14" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 2 enriched: false

Quoted in

Psalms 139.14

Book: Psalms · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"12. Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 13. For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother's womb."

"14. I will give thanks unto thee; For I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Wonderful are thy works; And that my soul knoweth right well."

"15. My frame was not hidden from thee, When I was made in secret, And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16. Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them." (Psalms 139:12-16, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"12. even the darkness doesn’t hide from you, but the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you. 13. For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb."

"14. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well."

"15. My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth. 16. Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them." (Psalms 139:12-16, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"12. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. ^{hideth: Heb. darkeneth not} ^{the darkness and: Heb. as is the darkness, so is the light} 13. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb."

"14. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. ^{right: Heb. greatly}"

"15. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. ^{substance: or, strength, or, body} 16. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. ^{all: Heb. all of them} ^{which: or, what days they should be fashioned}" (Psalms 139:12-16, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"12. Also darkness hideth not from Thee, And night as day shineth, as [is] darkness so [is] light. 13. For Thou, Thou hast possessed my reins, Thou dost cover me in my mother's belly."

"14. I confess Thee, because that [with] wonders I have been distinguished. Wonderful [are] Thy works, And my soul is knowing [it] well."

"15. My substance was not hid from Thee, When I was made in secret, Curiously wrought in the lower part of earth. 16. Mine unformed substance Thine eyes saw, And on Thy book all of them are written, The days they were formed, And not one among them." (Psalms 139:12-16, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: various (David majority; Asaph, Korah, Moses, Solomon, anonymous)
Audience: worshipping Israel (corporate + individual devotion)
Location: Israel, various periods
Time period: composition spans c. 1400 BC (Moses, Ps 90), c. 400 BC; principal Davidic composition c. 1000 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H3045 - yada, yada (Strong's H3045). Also appears in: Genesis 3, Genesis 12, Genesis 19.
H5315 - nephesh, nephesh (Strong's H5315). Also appears in: Genesis 1.21, Genesis 1.24-28, Genesis 2.7.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.